ROBERT KANIGEL is the author of seven previous books. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim fellowship and the Grady-Stack Award for science writing. His book The Man Who Knew Infinity was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. For twelve years he was a professor of science writing at M.I.T. He and his wife now live in Baltimore, Maryland, and he writes full time.
Best Books of the Year, NPR Top Ten Art Books of the Year, BooklistTop Ten Architecture Books of the Year, World ArchitectureLonglisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction A powerful and all too rare biography of the making of a female public intellectual. . . . Thrilling. --Fresh Air (NPR) Kanigel has written the definitive Jacobs biography . . . in prose that is as lively as her own. --The Washington Post Sparkling. . . . Magisterial. . . . An exhaustively researched, beautifully rendered tale, revealing the human contours of a vigorous, original mind. --Minneapolis Star Tribune A portrait emerges of an independent heroine who stepped into an arena dominated by men. She was Betty Friedan, Rachel Carson, and Erin Brockovich all rolled into one. --Boston Globe [Kanigel delivers] fast-paced and nuanced storytelling in a crisp prose style that engages the reader. . . . This most complete biography of Jane Jacobs to date is a treat to read. --The New York Journal of Books Zestfully illuminating and entertaining . . . Kanigel's delight in his subject . . . shimmers on every page. --Booklist (starred review) [Jane Jacobs] was great, and Kanigel gives her the great biography she deserves. --Edward Glaeser, The American Scholar Best Books of the Year, NPRTopTen Art Books of the Year, BooklistTop Ten Architecture Books of the Year, World ArchitectureLonglisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction A powerful and all too rare biography of the making of a female public intellectual. . . . Thrilling. Fresh Air (NPR) Kanigel has written the definitive Jacobs biography . . .in prose that is as lively as her own. The Washington Post Sparkling. . . . Magisterial. . . . An exhaustively researched, beautifully rendered tale, revealing the human contours of a vigorous, original mind. Minneapolis Star Tribune A portrait emerges of an independent heroine who stepped into an arena dominated by men. She was Betty Friedan, Rachel Carson, and Erin Brockovich all rolled into one. Boston Globe [Kanigel delivers] fast-paced and nuanced storytelling in a crisp prose style that engages the reader. . . . This most complete biography of Jane Jacobs to date is a treat to read. The New York Journal of Books Zestfully illuminating and entertaining . . . Kanigel s delight in his subject . . . shimmers on every page. Booklist(starred review) [Jane Jacobs] was great, and Kanigel gives her the great biography she deserves. Edward Glaeser, The American Scholar A powerful and all too rare biography of the making of a female public intellectual. . . . Thrilling. Fresh Air (NPR) Kanigel has written the definitive Jacobs biography . . .in prose that is as lively as her own. The Washington Post Sparkling. . . . Magisterial. . . . An exhaustively researched, beautifully rendered tale, revealing the human contours of a vigorous, original mind. Minneapolis Star Tribune A portrait emerges of an independent heroine who stepped into an arena dominated by men. She was Betty Friedan, Rachel Carson, and Erin Brockovich all rolled into one. Boston Globe [Kanigel delivers] fast-paced and nuanced storytelling in a crisp prose style that engages the reader. . . . This most complete biography of Jane Jacobs to date is a treat to read. The New York Journal of Books Zestfully illuminating and entertaining . . . Kanigel s delight in his subject . . . shimmers on every page. Booklist(starred review) [Jane Jacobs] was great, and Kanigel gives her the great biography she deserves. Edward Glaeser, The American Scholar